ClinMine: Optimizing the Management of Patients in Hospital

Context

A better understanding of “patient pathway” thanks to data analysis can lead to better treatments for patients. The ClinMine project, supported by the French National Research Agency (ANR), aims at proposing, from various case studies, algorithmic and statistical models able to handle this type of pathway data, focusing primarily on hospital data.

Separable models for age-structured population genetics

This paper is concerned with the applications of nonlinear age-dependent dynamics to population genetics. Age-structured models are formulated for a single autosomal locus with an arbitrary number of alleles. The following cases are considered: a) haploid populations with selection and mutation; b) monoecious diploid populations with or without mutation reproducing by self-fertilization or by two types of random mating. The diploid models do not deal with selection. For these cases the genic and genotypic frequencies evolve towards time-persistent forms, whether the total population size tends towards exponential growth or not.     

Striatal and Hippocampal Involvement in Motor Sequence Chunking Depends on the Learning Strategy

Motor sequences can be learned using an incremental approach by starting with a few elements and then adding more as training evolves (e.g., learning a piano piece); conversely, one can use a global approach and practice the whole sequence in every training session (e.g., shifting gears in an automobile). Yet, the neural correlates associated with such learning strategies in motor sequence learning remain largely unexplored to date. Here we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure the cerebral activity of individuals executing the same 8-element sequence after they completed a 4-days training regimen (2 sessions each day) following either a global or incremental strategy. A network comprised of striatal and fronto-parietal regions was engaged significantly regardless of the learning strategy, whereas the global training regimen led to additional cerebellar and temporal lobe recruitment. Analysis of chunking/grouping of sequence elements revealed a common prefrontal network in both conditions during the chunk initiation phase, whereas execution of chunk cores led to higher mediotemporal activity (involving the hippocampus) after global than incremental training. The novelty of our results relate to the recruitment of mediotemporal regions conditional of the learning strategy. Thus, the present findings may have clinical implications suggesting that the ability of patients with lesions to the medial temporal lobe to learn and consolidate new motor sequences may benefit from using an incremental strategy.     

The TatAd component of the Bacillus subtilis twin-arginine protein transport system forms homo-multimeric complexes in its cytosolic and membrane embedded localisation

The twin arginine translocation (Tat) system has the capacity to transfer completely folded proteins across the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane and the thylakoid membrane of plant chloroplasts. The most abundant TatA protein of this system has been suggested to form the protein conducting channel. Here, the molecular organisation of soluble and membrane embedded Bacillus subtilis TatAd was analysed using negative contrast and freeze-fractured electron microscopy. In both compartments, the protein showed homo-oligomerisation. In aqueous solution, TatAd formed homo-multimeric micelle-like complexes. Freeze-fracture analysis of proteoliposomes revealed self association of membrane-integrated TatAd independent from TatCd, the second component of this transport system. Immunogold labelling demonstrated that the substrate prePhoD was co-localised with membrane-integrated TatAd complexes.     

Four cases of human filariosis due to Setaria labiatopapillosa found in Bucharest, Romania

We record the occurrence of four cases of subconjunctival eye infection due to Setaria labiatopapillosa. The patients are all women, between 35 and 68 years old, all inhabitants of the same neighbourhood of the lake Pantelimon, a well known area for its blood feeding vector insect population and all complained about the same eye affliction: photophobia, eye swelling, tearing and foreign body sensation accompanied by some rash and low eosinofilia (6-8%). The treatment was surgical (excision) and DEC 1 mg/kg body weight. The vector insect cannot be specified. We stress that to our knowledge these are the first reported cases of human infection with Setaria labiatopapillosa.     

Expression of smooth muscle MyHC B in blood vessels of hypertrophied heart in experimentally hypertensive rats

We demonstrated recently a significantly lower fraction of cardiac precapillary arterioles that expressed smooth muscle myosin heavy chain (MyHC) B (SMB) in spontaneously hypertensive rats. To clarify whether this reduction of SMB expression is of genetic origin, we investigated SMB expression in cardiac precapillary arterioles of normotensive and experimentally hypertensive rats (one clip, one kidney or ANG II minipump). We observed similar SMB expression patterns in precapillary arterioles of experimentally hypertensive rats compared with normotensive controls. These observations suggest that the downregulation of SMB in spontaneously hypertensive rats is of genetic origin rather than an adaptive response to chronically enhanced blood pressure and cardiac hypertrophy.